TWM584979U - Snap action switch for generating feedbacks - Google Patents

Abstract

The snap action switch of the present disclosure may include a housing with a plurality of protruding blocks extending inwardly, a plunger disposed on the housing, a first elastic component coupled to the plunger for providing a force against the plunger, a cam located within the housing and being movable by the plunger, a rotor located within the housing and associated with the cam, and a second elastic component coupled to the rotor for providing a force against the rotor. When the cam moves to a first position, the rotor may rotate such that a lower surface of the cam engages with an upper surface of the rotor, and when the cam moves to a second position, the rotor may continue to rotate such that the upper surface of the rotor engages with a lower surface of at least one of the plurality of protruding blocks of the housing. A method for generating a feedback by a snap action switch is also disclosed.

Description

Snap action switch for generating feedback

The present disclosure relates to a snap action switch for generating feedback.

The snap-action relationship is a switching device that can be quickly opened and closed. Only a small amount of pressure or force is required to operate such a device. "Quick action" occurs by the rapid movement of a spring-assisted moving contactor from one position to another, regardless of the speed of the actuator. In general, the conventional snap action relationship is a reed type. Since the reed-type snap-action relationship is operated by very small pressure or force, the reed in this snap-action switch can only provide very small feedback. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the structure of the snap action switch.

The present disclosure provides a snap-action switch for generating feedback when pressed, and a method for generating feedback by the snap-action switch. In some embodiments, the snap-action switch may include a housing having a plurality of protruding blocks extending inward, a plunger disposed on the housing, and a piston coupled to the plunger for providing a force against the plunger. A first elastic member, a cam located in the housing and movable by the plunger, a rotor located in the housing and associated with the cam, and a second elastic member coupled to the rotor for providing a force against the rotor. When the cam moves to the first position, the rotor can rotate, so that the lower surface of the cam is engaged with the upper surface of the rotor, and when the cam moves to the second position, the rotor can continue to rotate, so that the upper surface of the rotor and the housing The lower surfaces of at least one of the plurality of protruding squares are joined.

In another aspect, the snap-action switch for generating feedback when pressed may include a casing having a plurality of protruding blocks extending inward, a plunger disposed on the casing, coupled to the casing and the plunger. A washer located in the housing and movable by the plunger, a rotor located in the housing and associated with the cam, a first elastic member coupled to the rotor for providing a force against the rotor, and a coupling A second elastic member to the cam for providing a force against the cam. When the cam moves to the first position, the rotor can rotate, so that the lower surface of the cam is engaged with the upper surface of the rotor, and when the cam moves to the second position, the rotor can continue to rotate, so that the upper surface of the rotor and the housing The lower surfaces of at least one of the plurality of protruding squares are joined.

In another aspect, the method for generating feedback by a snap-action switch may include the following steps: moving the cam from the first position to the second position to rotate the rotor, so that the upper surface of the rotor and the plurality of casings The lower surface of at least one of the protruding blocks is engaged, and the cam is restored from the second position to the first position to rotate the rotor so that the lower surface of the cam is engaged with the upper surface of the rotor. In one aspect, when the cam is moved to the second position, the first electrical contact member coupled to the cam is in electrical contact with the second electrical contact member coupled to the housing. In another aspect, when the cam is moved to a third position between the first position and the second position, the first electrical contact member coupled to the cam is electrically connected to the second electrical contact member coupled to the housing. contact. In yet another aspect, when the cam is moved to the fourth position, the first electrical contact member coupled to the cam is in electrical contact with the second electrical contact member coupled to the housing, and wherein the second position is at the first position. Between a position and a fourth position.

The above and other aspects of the disclosure are described in more detail in the following context.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a snap action switch 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the snap-action switch 100 may include a housing 106, a plunger 102, and a first elastic member 104. Further referring to FIG. 2, the schematic perspective view of the snap-action switch 100 may further include a cam 108, a rotor 110, a second elastic member 112, and a spring 114.

In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 106 may be a hollow cylinder, with inner walls surrounding it forming an inner region. The inner wall of the housing may have a plurality of protruding blocks (not shown) extending inward, and each of the plurality of protruding blocks has an inclined lower surface. The number of protruding blocks provided on the inner wall of the housing 106 may be changed. In addition, a hole is formed at the top of the housing and communicates with the internal area, so that the lower end of the plunger 102 can pass through the hole and be accommodated in the internal area. In some embodiments, the holes are designed to have a smaller diameter than the inner wall of the housing, such that at least a portion of the top wall remains around the inner area of the housing.

The plunger 102 may be disposed on the housing 106 and configured to be coupled to the cam 108 by extending a lower end through a hole at a top of the housing 106 and into an inner region of the housing 106. The plunger 102 is movable between a first position as a relaxed state and a second position as a compressed state. In some embodiments, the plunger 102 can act as a button for a switch.

The cam 108 is located in the housing 106 and can be moved by the plunger 102. The cam 108 is configured to have a plurality of protrusions 122 corresponding to a plurality of protruding squares of the housing 106. For example, the plurality of protrusions 122 of the cam 108 may be staggered with the plurality of protruding squares of the housing 106. Therefore, the movement of the cam 108 will be defined by a protruding block on the inner wall of the housing 106 and will move linearly along the central axis of the housing 106. Each of the plurality of protrusions 122 has an inclined lower surface to engage the rotor 110 (described in more detail below).

The diameter of the cam 108 may exceed the diameter of the hole at the top of the casing 106 so that the cam 108 can be fixed in the inner region of the casing 106 without being easily dropped. It should be understood that although this embodiment illustrates eight protrusions 122 provided on the cam 108, other numbers or shapes of protrusions may be considered.

The rotor 110 is located within the housing 106 and is associated with the cam 108. In the illustrated embodiment, the rotor 110 is annular and has a plurality of teeth 124 extending upwardly from the periphery of the rotor 110. The plurality of teeth 124 are disposed around the periphery of the rotor 110. Each of the plurality of teeth 124 has a sloped upper surface, and when the plunger 102 is in the first position, the sloped upper surface of each of the plurality of teeth 124 may be compared with the plurality of cams 108 The inclined lower surfaces of each of the protrusions 122 are engaged. It should be understood that although this embodiment illustrates eight teeth 124 provided on the rotor 110, other numbers or shapes of teeth may also be considered.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first elastic member 104 may be a hemisphere. As shown in FIG. 2, one end of the first elastic member 104 is coupled to the plunger 102, and the other end of the first elastic member 104 is coupled to the top surface of the housing 106. The first elastic member 104 has elasticity for providing a force against the plunger 102 to push the plunger 102 from the second position to the first position.

In the illustrated embodiment, one end of the second elastic member 112 is coupled to the lower surface of the rotor 110 and the other end of the second elastic member 112 is coupled to the bottom 126 of the housing 106 in the inner region. In some embodiments, the rotor 110 may include a gasket 128 coupled to a bottom surface of the rotor 110. The second elastic member 112 may provide a force against the rotor 110. In one embodiment, the second elastic member 112 is formed by a spring disposed between the rotor 110 and the casing 106.

Referring to FIG. 3, one end of the spring 114 is coupled to the lower end 122 of the cam 108, and the other end of the spring 114 is coupled to the bottom 126 of the housing 106. The spring 114 may provide a force against the cam 108.

When the plunger 102 is pressed, the cam 108 moves away from the first position and moves down to the second position. Since the lower surface of each of the plurality of protrusions 122 of the cam 108 can be engaged with the upper surface of each of the plurality of teeth 124 of the rotor 110, the rotor 110 is also moved downward by the cam 108 to Second position. In some embodiments, the sloped lower surface of each of the plurality of protrusions 122 of the cam 108 is aligned with the sloped lower surface of each of the plurality of protruding squares of the housing 106 when aligned with the plurality of cams 108 The inclined upper surface of each of the plurality of teeth 124 of the rotor 110 engaged with the inclined lower surface of each of the protrusions 122 can slide with the second elastic member 112 to protrude from the plurality of cases of the housing 106. The inclined lower surfaces of each of the squares are engaged so that the rotor 110 is rotated at a certain angle. At this point, a sound is made and feedback is provided to the user. At the same time, as the rotor 110 rotates, the user will no longer feel the restoring force provided by the second elastic member 112.

When the plunger 102 is released from the second position, the cam 108 is moved upward by the spring 114, and then the plunger 102 is moved upward by the cam 108 and the first elastic member 104. At this time, the inclined lower surface of each of the plurality of protrusions 122 of the cam 108 and the inclined lower surface of each of the plurality of protruding blocks of the housing 106 will no longer be aligned with each other. In some embodiments, when the inclined lower surface of each of the plurality of protrusions 122 of cam 108 is aligned with the inclined lower surface of each of the plurality of protruding squares of housing 106 again, The inclined lower surface of each of the plurality of teeth 124 of the rotor 110 engaged with the inclined lower surface of each of the plurality of protruding blocks is slidable, and each of the plurality of protrusions 122 of the cam 108 is slidable. The inclined lower surface is engaged, so that the rotor rotates at a certain angle. At this point, another sound will be emitted and the plunger 102 will return to the first position.

Referring to FIG. 3, the snap-action switch 100 may further include a contact lever 116 as a first electrical contact member and two terminals 118 and 120 as a second electrical contact member. The contact rod 116 and the two terminals 118 and 120 are electrical conductors. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower end 122 of the cam 108 passes through the annular rotor 110, and the contact rod 116 is laterally disposed on the lower end 122 of the cam 108 at the lower portion of the rotor 110. The two terminals 118, 120 can penetrate the bottom 126 of the housing 106. Therefore, the two terminals 118, 120 are partially located in the inner area of the housing 106 and partially located outside the housing 106. When the plunger 102 is pressed from the first position toward the second position, the cam 108 is moved by the plunger 102, and then when the rotor 110 is rotated, the contact rod 116 can be in electrical contact with the two terminals 118, 120 to form an electrical connection .

In some embodiments, the lower end 122 of the cam 108 may be a hollow cylinder surrounding the inner region. The lower end 122 of the cam 108 may be configured to have two elongated slots at opposite sides. The contact rod 116 can pass through the two elongated slots and move along the two elongated slots relative to the lower end 122 of the cam 108. The snap action switch 100 may further include an internal spring (not shown). The internal spring is disposed in an internal area of the lower portion 122 of the cam 108 and is coupled to the lower end 122 of the cam 108 and the contact lever 116 to provide a force against the contact lever 116 to push the contact lever 116 to two elongated One end of the slot. In some embodiments, the length of the two elongated slots can vary.

In some embodiments, after the plunger 102 is moved and before the rotor 110 is rotated, the contact rod 116 may be in electrical contact with the two terminals 118, 120 to form an electrical connection. That is, when the cam 108 moves to a third position between the first position and the second position, the contact lever 116 may be in electrical contact with the two terminals 118, 120 to form an electrical connection.

In another embodiment, after the rotor 110 is rotated, the contact rod 116 may be in electrical contact with the two terminals 118, 120 to form an electrical connection. That is, when the cam 108 is moved to the fourth position, the contact lever 116 may be in electrical contact with the two terminals 118, 120 to form an electrical connection. In addition, in this embodiment, the second position may be located between the first position and the fourth position.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a snap action switch 400 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In the illustrated embodiment, the structure of the snap-action switch 400 of FIG. 4 is similar to that of the snap-action switch 100 of FIG. 2. The snap-action switch 400 of FIG. 4 may include a housing, a plunger 402, a hemispherical 404, a cam 408, a rotor 410, and an elastic member 412. In this embodiment, when the plunger 402 is released in the first position, the hemispherical 404 can provide a force against the plunger 402.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a snap action switch 500 according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic perspective view of the snap action switch 500 of FIG. 5. In the illustrated embodiment, the structure of the snap-action switch 500 of FIG. 5 is similar to that of the snap-action switch 100 of FIG. 2. The snap action switch 500 of FIGS. 5 and 6 may include a housing, a plunger 502, a cam 508, a rotor 510, an elastic member 512, and a spring 514. In this embodiment, the spring 514 is disposed below the rotor 510 and is connected between the cam 508 and the bottom 506 of the housing. Therefore, when the plunger 502 is released in the first position, the spring 514 provides a force against the cam 508 and pushes the plunger 502 upward to hold the plunger 502 in the first position. In some embodiments, the snap-action switch 500 may further include a washer (not shown). In one embodiment, one end of the washer is coupled to the plunger 502 and the other end of the washer is coupled to the top surface of the housing. The use of a gasket prevents water from flowing into the inner area of the housing.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method 700 for generating feedback by a snap action switch according to an embodiment of the disclosure. At step 710, the cam train is moved from the first position to the second position to rotate the rotor so that the upper surface of the rotor is engaged with the lower surface of at least one of the plurality of protruding blocks of the housing. In this step, the rotor can provide feedback to the user when rotated by the cam at the second position. At step 720, the cam train is restored from the second position to the first position to rotate the rotor so that the lower surface of the cam is engaged with the upper surface of the rotor.

The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those having ordinary knowledge in the field should understand that various modifications and changes can be made to the present disclosure without departing from the scope and spirit defined by the appended claims.

100‧‧‧Quick Action Switch

102‧‧‧Plunger

104‧‧‧First elastic member

106‧‧‧shell

108‧‧‧ cam

110‧‧‧rotor

112‧‧‧Second elastic member

114‧‧‧Spring

116‧‧‧contact lever

118‧‧‧Terminal

120‧‧‧Terminal

122‧‧‧ protrusion

124‧‧‧Tooth

126‧‧‧ bottom

128‧‧‧ Gasket

400‧‧‧Quick Action Switch

402‧‧‧Plunger

404‧‧‧ Hemisphere

408‧‧‧cam

410‧‧‧rotor

412‧‧‧elastic parts

500‧‧‧Quick Action Switch

502‧‧‧ plunger

506‧‧‧ bottom

508‧‧‧cam

510‧‧‧rotor

512‧‧‧elastic parts

514‧‧‧Spring

700‧‧‧ Method

710‧‧‧step

720‧‧‧step

Therefore, by means of which the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure can be understood, a more detailed description of the present disclosure briefly summarized above can be obtained by referring to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, the accompanying drawings illustrate only exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the present disclosure may allow other equally effective embodiments, and thus the accompanying drawings should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a snap action switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic perspective view of the snap action switch of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates another schematic perspective view of the snap action switch of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a snap action switch according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a snap action switch according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic perspective view of the snap action switch of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method for generating feedback by a snap action switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

For ease of understanding, where possible, the same component symbols are used to represent the same components that are common in the drawings. For clarity, the various embodiments shown in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and are illustrative representations.

Claims (16)

A snap switch for generating a feedback when pressed includes:
A shell with a plurality of protruding squares extending inward;
A plunger, arranged on the casing;
A first elastic member, coupled between the housing and the plunger, for providing a force against the plunger;
A cam is located in the housing and can be moved by the plunger;
A rotor, disposed in the housing and associated with the cam; and a second elastic member, coupled to the rotor, for providing a force against the rotor;
When the cam moves to a first position, the rotor rotates so that the lower surface of the cam engages an upper surface of the rotor, and when the cam moves to a second position, the rotor continues to rotate The upper surface of the rotor is engaged with the lower surface of at least one of the protruding squares of the housing. The snap-action switch according to claim 1, wherein the rotor includes a plurality of teeth. The snap switch of claim 2, wherein when the cam moves to the first position, the lower surface of the cam is an upper surface of at least one of the plurality of teeth of the rotor Engaged, and wherein when the cam moves to the second position, the upper surface of the at least one of the plurality of teeth of the rotor is in contact with the one of the plurality of protruding squares of the housing At least one of the lower surfaces is joined. The snap switch of claim 1, further comprising a spring coupled to the cam for providing a force against the cam. The quick-action switch according to claim 1, wherein the second elastic member is a spring. The snap switch of claim 1, further comprising a first electrical contact member coupled to the cam and a second electrical contact member coupled to the housing. The snap switch of claim 6, wherein when the cam moves to the second position, the first electrical contact member is in electrical contact with the second electrical contact member. The snap switch of claim 6, wherein when the cam moves to a third position between the first position and the second position, the first electrical contact member is electrically connected to the second electrical contact member contact. The snap switch of claim 6, wherein when the cam moves to a fourth position, the first electrical contact member is in electrical contact with the second electrical contact member, and wherein the second position is at the first position Between a position and the fourth position. A snap switch for generating a feedback when pressed includes:
A shell with a plurality of protruding squares extending inward;
A plunger, arranged on the casing;
A washer coupled to the housing and the plunger;
A cam is located in the housing and can be moved by the plunger;
A rotor, disposed in the housing, and associated with the cam;
A first elastic member coupled to the rotor for providing a force against the rotor; and a second elastic member coupled to the cam for providing a force against the cam ;
When the cam moves to a first position, the rotor rotates, so that the lower surface of the cam engages an upper surface of the rotor, and when the cam moves to a second position, the rotor continues to rotate, and The upper surface of the rotor is engaged with the lower surface of at least one of the protruding squares of the housing. The snap action switch of claim 10, wherein the rotor includes a plurality of teeth. The snap switch of claim 11, wherein when the cam moves to the first position, the lower surface of the cam is an upper surface of at least one of the plurality of teeth of the rotor Is engaged, and wherein when the cam moves to the second position, the upper surface of the at least one of the plurality of teeth of the rotor is in contact with the At least one of the lower surfaces is joined. The snap switch of claim 10, further comprising a first electrical contact member coupled to the cam and a second electrical contact member coupled to the housing. The snap switch of claim 13, wherein when the cam moves to the second position, the first electrical contact member is in electrical contact with the second electrical contact member. The snap switch of claim 13, wherein when the cam moves to a third position between the first position and the second position, the first electrical contact member is electrically connected to the second electrical contact member contact. The snap switch of claim 13, wherein when the cam moves to a fourth position, the first electrical contact member is in electrical contact with the second electrical contact member, and wherein the second position is at the first position Between a position and the fourth position.